FTE 007

That’s right. He’d been rambling this whole time, from the moment the door opened until he reached his bed. I was mortified, wanting to apologize profusely to the nurse behind him. But she just gave a faint smile, either having reached enlightenment or successfully blocking her ears. 

“Alright then!” Hyeongmin chirped, trying to sound upbeat as he settled onto the bed. “Thank you!”

“Just press the button if you need anything. You know that, right?”

“Yes!”

There was a brief silence while the nurse left, but it ended once the door closed.

“That seizure wasn’t trivial. Is it because of me? Am I not qualified? Should I just quit…?”  The Question Mark Murderer was driving me crazy. With great patience, I responded:

“It happens sometimes. And he will be discharged faster than you.”

“What’s your partner’s name?”

Suddenly, Chae Won-u interrupted. Hyeongmin finally met Chae Won-u’s eyes. He had been deliberately avoiding eye contact until now. Hyeongmin looked at Chae Won-u’s cold yet handsome face and hesitantly uttered three syllables:

“It’s Baek Jungseok…”

“Baek Jungseok…” I thought about Yang Bansaeng, Pyeong Minseok, Baek Jungseok… This was where Seunggyu and I differed—whether we voiced our thoughts or not. It also decided whether cheap sunglasses suited us or not.

“Oh, him.” Chae Won-u gave an uncomfortable smile. Naturally, Hyeongmin’s expression became even worse.

“Huh. Do you know something?”

“He has the ability to strengthen objects that touch his body, including his own.”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Then he should’ve been discharged already.”

“D-Do you have any other advice besides that? Something I might be aware of…”

Chae Won-u became lost in deep thought, at least from what it seemed. Without permission, I opened the small refrigerator nearby and cracked open a juice bottle. With the crisp sound, Chae Won-u responded:

“I really dislike him.”

“Huh?” Both Hyeongmin and I showed surprise on our faces.

“I truly hate him.”

“Well, this information could be helpful for him.”

“So, insult me. Then we’ll become close quickly?”

“Uh… Why does your partner dislike Hunter-nim…?”

“Who knows?”

I chewed on some aloe vera particles while looking into the distance. Somehow, I seemed to understand. The reason why Baek Jungseok disliked Chae Won-u…

“Isn’t it just because most people don’t like me?”

“Do you think… it’s because you’re handsome?”

I almost sprayed the aloe vera particles onto Hyeongmin’s face. Barely managing to hold back, I stood up. In reality, there was nothing to worry about. I patted Hyeongmin on the shoulder and offered him words of encouragement filled with sympathy:

“You will do really well.”

“Really?” His question came with a wide smile, instantly forgetting his worries from moments ago. He had potential. With conviction, I nodded firmly and gave one more piece of advice:

“And remember to breathe…”

Fortunately, considering Hunter Baek Jungseok could strengthen his body, he wouldn’t risk rupturing his eardrums.

***

“What is the real reason?”

“What?” Chae Won-u asked as he stood in front of the vending machine and swiped his card. I pressed the button for candy bars repeatedly on the adjacent vending machine.

“Why does Hunter Baek Jungseok hate you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?”

“Really, I don’t know.” Chae Won-u leaned against the vending machine while opening his cola. He smiled with one hand in his pocket, making me think how surprisingly handsome he was despite his wounded pride. He had a pretty good-looking face. For the second time, I thought that he was also born in the wrong era.

I faced Chae Won-u and adopted the same stance.

“There aren’t many people I like.”

“Why do you think so?”

“The reason?”

Cola slowly dripped from the can opening. It looked like a string of shimmering beads. Slowly, it formed straight lines towards the ceiling before creating an arch like a rainbow and descending again to gather at the entrance once more. This was Chae Won-u’s ability.

Rebound. To think he could wield such a potent ability with such ease, for a mere trifle, as effortlessly as breathing, with such precision and finesse. I clenched my hand hidden in my pocket. 

“He’d never saved me even once.”

This time, the droplets of cola swirled around me, resembling Saturn’s rings. With a slight tilt of my head, I irritably sipped the swirling cola drops. Chae Won-u’s eyes widened, then he chuckled softly.

“Hyung, do you want to sleep with me?”

Suddenly, what nonsense was this? I continued sucking on the droplets. The cola infused with power tasted horribly unpleasant at the end. It was solely due to my mood.

“I don’t know because I’ve never done it before, but they say guiding is fantastic. They claim it’s better than drugs.”

“It’s all nonsense.”

“Still, I’m curious. Let’s try it. Hyung can do it. You hate me that much?” 

I let out a short, humorless laugh. Even to my own ears, it sounded like a bubbling cauldron of annoyance. 

“Now I understand why Hunters hate you, Hunter Chae.”

Chae Won-u ran a hand through his hair, tilting his head. I ducked under the loosening ring of cola droplets, grabbed a handful of biscuit sticks, and backed away.

“You’re asking for trouble, Hunter Chae.” 

Watch your mouth, kid. You’re messing with the wrong person. 

***

“Why isn’t it possible?” I asked, my voice rising in a rare display of agitation. But the manager just shook his head, his expression a mix of exasperation and amusement.

“It is already decided. There are no empty rooms.”

“There are no empty rooms!”

Get a grip, Baekgyeom. Raising your voice will only make you look desperate and rude, and no one likes a rude person. I forced a smile and tried again.

“The entire floor I’m on should be empty.”

“They’re all reserved.”

“Manager… do you realize how unreasonable this sounds…?”

“Baekgyeom-ssi, please. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be…” The manager leaned forward and whispered softly. I also pulled my chair closer, straining to listen attentively.

“This is an order from above. They want us to accommodate your partner’s requests.”

“He’s not my partner! I’m just outsourced help. Are you saying this is how you treat your contractors?”

“You know that’s not it. If anything, the agencies have all the power. We’re at their mercy.”

It was nonsense. The agencies were the top dogs, the Hunter Association was situationally powerful, and I was stuck at the very bottom of the food chain. I massaged my temples. 

“But… you’ve never made us share a room before.”

“This is a special case, alright? Just work with me here. Come on, it can’t be that bad, can it?”

“It’s not that it’s bad…”

I slumped back in my chair, tilting my head back until I was staring at the ceiling. I squeezed my eyes shut, overwhelmed by how upside down this whole situation was. The manager started trying to appease me, but being treated like a petulant child annoyed me even more.

“Just pretend he’s not there. It’ll be tough, but what can you do?  Hunters… they’re fickle creatures. A little… different. Can’t expect them to be like normal people…”

My eyebrows shot up at ‘different,’ and I opened my eyes, ready to cut him off, when I noticed Chae Won-u standing in my upside-down view. His hearing was far from ordinary. And just as he took a step closer, the manager finished his sentence with ‘Can’t expect them to be like normal people.’ My partner, upon hearing those words, turned around and walked away. 

Shit. 

“Manager!” I shot up from my chair.

“Hmm?”

“I, uh, I’ll come back later. Thanks for everything! Coffee’s on me.”

Spitting out a string of insincere, empty pleasantries, I rushed out of the manager’s office and found myself standing in the middle of the crowded lobby. 

“Fucking hell…”

He heard 100% of it. The look on his face gave it away.  I buried my face in my hands, cursing under my breath. I was so screwed. 

Just then, all the giant screens hanging from the lobby ceiling flickered, bathing the entire space in an alarming red glow as an emergency alert blared to life. The watch on my wrist started buzzing. I quickly fished the receiver from my pocket and jammed it in my ear, connecting to the assigned dispatcher. 

“Why am I getting this alert? My balance adjustment isn’t finished. I shouldn’t be on active duty.”

―About that…  We need you to head out.

We both knew that ‘need’ was code for ‘We’re going to throw you to the wolves and see what happens.’ I gritted my teeth. 

“You’re just using me as a guinea pig, aren’t you?” 

―Look… I’m sorry, Baekgyeom-ah.

“You’re experimenting with me and Chae Won-u, aren’t you?” I managed to maintain respect in my tone despite my twisted smile.

Suddenly, Chae Won-u appeared nearby within my line of sight. He wore his familiar belt, gloves, and had a bandana and goggles draped around his neck. They seemed waterproof, glistening slightly.

Chae Won-u discovered me as well. He met my eyes and then lowered his head with a slightly sad expression. I could tell if he was disheartened or not just by looking at his face now. Chae Won-u was indeed dispirited, which left me feeling utterly miserable.

“No matter what happens, I’m not taking responsibility for this one.”

I hung up without another word and strode over to Chae Won-u. For the first time, he avoided my gaze. And for the first time, he looked his age. Not just any kid, but a twenty-year-old—a young man still wet behind the ears. 

“I consider you a person.”

“…..”

“I think of you as one of us.”

“Liar. You hate me.”

“Ah, shit! Fine. You’re right. I don’t think of you as a person.” 

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and grabbed Chae Won-u firmly by the shoulder.